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This post features the second instalment of cartoons I created during my academic tenure at the University of Technology, Sydney. These examples focus on the University’s Tower Building on Broadway near Railway Square. Labelled an example of “brutal modernism” despite its designer’s denial of it being that style, it is a monolithic stack of 27 storeys in concrete and glass now somewhat softened by the arrival of the vertical garden clad Central Park building opposite. I had fun playing around with it as a satirical subject in these cartoons that were published in the University’s magazine U:.

In this post I am adding more sample pages from my scrapbook, the initial posting of which can be found here. There is only one copy and it contains images of other people’s work that I admire along with assorted memorabilia of my own.

Above-collage of scenes from Walt Disney studio production, clockwise from top left: me visiting their studio in Burbank(I studied storyboards from their morgue); mixing colour; making synchronised soundtracks; character paint set merchandise.

Above-Osamu Tezuka at work at Mushi Productions making anime; early Mazzucchelli superhero drawing; spool of recording tape; Tetsujin 28-go manga cover; Klaus Voormann cover design for The Beatles album Revolver.

Above-mixed bag of Tatsunoko Production studio interior; Dave Brubeck Quartet’s Time Out cover designed by Sadamitsu Fujita; Shigeru Mizuki manga; Gene Vincent and his Blue Caps without their blue caps: one of my signature stamps.

This is the third report documenting production of the fifth and concluding chapter of my artist book/comic Blotting Paper: The Recollected Graphical Impressions Of Doctor Comics. Production of the new issue 2 Tickets to Tokyo Bayis continuing with images currently being created along with some previously made works recorded during my travels in Japan and Germany. The script has first been developed in word form and accompanied by some conceptual colour coding. This was followed by a second draft consisting of roughly sketched visuals of the script with coloured pencils and associated descriptive comments or dialogue. There are examples of both of these development stages, below.

One scene in the script is a graphical recollection of my Doctor Comics alias. It reveals the design of one of his logo stamps/seals or chops that was roughed out on a paper napkin in a restaurant. Here is a scan of that design development along with attachments including a photo and a Japanese photo booth print sticker.

In this post I am profiling another artist book I have made, my scrapbook. Only one copy, it contains images of other people’s work that I admire along with assorted memorabilia of my own. This profile will be ongoing as the book is not yet finished. It does have some history though. Subsequent posts will be added to this one and the content of the book may change over time as images and pages are altered, removed and added. To begin with here are some sample page-spreads.

Double page spread in progress.

Starting with a blank paged, hard-covered sketch book I covered the covers with cloth then painted some of the double page spreads in various colours and a range of textures. To these I added images that I had collected or made, gluing them onto the pages, sometimes in random fashion and other times in related groupings. This relationship might be in terms of colour or commonality of subject or simply a whimsical choice. The above spread shows Kamishibai frame boards on the left and animation drawings by Chuck Jones on the right.

Double page spread in progress.

This spread juxtaposes a theatrical illustration with an add for a Gary Panter book. The white blotch at the join is torn paper, the result of closing the pages before the paint had dried then re-opening them. It looks good though, I think.

Almost done! Completion of the art and text on pages of the fourth issue of my artist book/comic Blotting Paper: The Recollected Graphical Impressions Of Doctor Comics has nearly reached the finishing line. After that all that will remain is the publishing production process of those pages. This includes the sequential stages of the pages being printed, collated, trimmed, covered and bound. Similar to the preceding three issues the present one has a total of 40 pages plus endpapers and covers. For this issue these covers will feature a wraparound print that includes the title. And being an artist book there will be a limited number of books published, in this case 30. Each book in this first edition will be numbered and signed by the artist.

With some spot colour still to be added plus a few paragraphs of handwriting, a bit of toning touch-up here and there and a little overprinting that might get overlaid I have spread out the pages in a probable sequence on the floor of the studio to get some sense of how the story flows and whether the juxtaposition of the page-spreads works throughout the issue. So there may still be some alterations to the sequencing in the final edit. I try to see a sense of rhythm in the overall progression of pages.

Not quite there yet! I might need another month to finish this issue. So I’ll say again, this time with the added word “hopefully”, that this looks like being the penultimate report documenting production of the fourth issue of my artist book/comic Blotting Paper: The Recollected Graphical Impressions Of Doctor Comics, Chapter 4: Beer, Chocolate and Comics before undertaking the likely final chapter, tentatively titled 2 or 3 Tickets To Tokyo Bay?

The cats go to Germany with Doctor Comics’s stash of comics related books, mementos and research materials. A dog is met who assists them in arranging matters. Beer is drunk, comics consumed and a plan devised.

One of the cats, Cohl, sorts through Doc’s research materials and reflects on some of his deeds including one that involved Belgian comics. Cohl also attempts to emulate Doc’s art practice, making sketches and playing with art materials, more drawing than printmaking. The other cat enjoys what Germany has to offer in the way of beer, fish and fun. Both cats and their canine companion enjoy the chocolate.

More visual developments and an update on progress will be posted on this blog in a month’s time as I bring this chapter to completion and start moving towards Japan as setting of the next chapter. In the meantime, for a continuing visual history record and time-line overview of this project that covers all four issues, you can read the BLOTTING PAPER production reports on the following posts:

Here follows the fifth and possibly penultimate report documenting production progress of the fourth issue and chapter of my artist book/comic Blotting Paper: The Recollected Graphical Impressions Of Doctor Comics, Chapter 4: Beer, Chocolate and Comics. It could be as close as a month from completion but we’ll have to wait and see about that. In this chapter the feline character Cohl retrieves documents and items from the Doctor Comics archive and collection of comics related materials. From this he constructs a post of an autobiographical nature on the Doctor Comics blog. It contains anecdotes of a Royalty led Belgian trade mission to Sydney that included such notable Belgian products as beer, chocolate and comics. This is what provides the source of the chapter’s title. In addition to the trade event in the ballroom of a luxury hotel in Sydney there was an exhibition of Belgian comic art at a local gallery-Allianz Francais. This is not the only anecdote in this chapter nor indeed in all the chapters and these anecdotes are employed to provide detail and substance to both story and characters.

More visual developments and an update on progress will be posted on this blog in three or four weeks time as I near completion and point towards Japan as the likely setting of the next chapter. In the meantime, for a continuing visual history record and time-line overview of this project that covers all four issues, you can read the BLOTTING PAPER production reports on the following posts:

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Michael Hill Ph.D.

Follow the production progress of my artist book/comic BLOTTING PAPER and read my views on related subjects including posts on Australian Alternative Comics and my travels in Germany, Japan and USA. For further detail on my profile see the About page.